CPT code 31541: Tumor excision, with operating scope2026 Medicare rate & RVUs

Medicare pays $223.45 for 31541 nationally in a facility.

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 31541 covers

An otolaryngologist performs direct operative laryngoscopy to expose and remove a tumor in the larynx, using an operating microscope or telescope for visualization. The service is typically performed in an operating room, often under general anesthesia, for a lesion that requires excision rather than tissue sampling alone. The excised tissue may be sent for pathology; the pathology examination is a separate service when performed by a laboratory.

Select this code when the operative report supports tumor excision during direct laryngoscopy and documents use of the operating microscope or telescope. Excision without that operating scope is reported with 31540; biopsy alone is a different service. CMS assigns a 0-day global period, so same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included. When related endoscopies are performed together, endoscopy family pricing applies. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code. CMS does not pay an assistant at surgery, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 31541 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 of 109 payment localities

31541 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

How the 31541 rate is calculated

Each of 31541’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for 31541

The CMS indicators that decide how 31541 is paid alongside other services.

What modifiers do to the payment

When to use modifier 51

31541 compared with similar codes

How to choose

31540Laryngeal excisionWithout operating scope

Use 31541 when the operative report documents an operating microscope or telescope during tumor excision. Use 31540 for the corresponding excision without that scope.

31536Laryngeal biopsyWith operating scope

31536 is for laryngoscopic biopsy with an operating microscope or telescope. Choose 31541 when the documented service is excision of a tumor, not biopsy alone.

31535Laryngeal biopsyDirect operative approach

31535 reports laryngoscopic biopsy without the operating microscope or telescope. It does not describe excision of a tumor.

31545Vocal cord excisionWith operating microscope or telescope

31545 is associated with the operative vocal-cord lesion service. Use 31541 when the documented procedure is the laryngoscopic excision of a laryngeal tumor described by this code.

Codes related to 31541

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates